An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

I’d been hearing about this book everywhere for a while when I finally decided to check it out from the library. I had no idea what it was about (I tend not to read the teasers of books) and was pleasantly surprised with how much I liked it.

Tayari Jones wrote a book that was so simple but, despite it’s short length, managed to capture the complexity of marriage. Further, the author presented various social topics (i.e. race, incarceration, sexual assault, etc.) without being overtly political. I very much enjoyed the content.

The short description of this book: An African American man is wrongfully convicted of rape and finds himself behind bars in Federal prison. Devastated, his wife stands by his side, writing letters and visiting with the hopes that he will eventually be released and they can resume their lives. However, time takes its toll. And when he is finally released years later, will their marriage still be the same?

I thought it was super interesting to see the impact incarceration has on relationships and family dynamics. I haven’t read a book that had a person of color as the main character in some time and it was a refreshing change. The audiobook was done extremely well and the narration constantly reminded me that persons of color were the primary focus of the prose.

My absolute favorite part of the book was the portion when the husband and wife were writing letters to each other while he was incarcerated. You could feel the dynamic change as the letters progressed through time and it was fascinating. There were perhaps a few lulls in the book where I felt like it was slow but it eventually picked up and had a satisfying ending.

I’ve seen many book clubs seeking recommendations for books written or involving persons of color or strong female leads. This would be a great option.

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Published by homesweethouser

About me? Who am I? I'm Ashley Houser, formerly Tocco (Toe-ko, not Taco). I live in Nashville, Tennessee and work as a pharmacy manager for Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. I married the love of my life in August 2017 and have been enjoying the ride ever since. But, let's get down to why I'm here. I'm a reader. I enjoy all things psychological, thriller, mystery, and everything in between. On occasion I find myself engrossed in a good dystopian novel as well. I started this blog as a place to share my thoughts on books I've ready in the mystery/thriller genre. And while that's still the case, it has now evolved to "all the books." Mystery, thriller, science fiction, southern fiction, young adult, you name it.
There is a little something for everybody. I hope this is a place where people feel inspired to pick up a book and jump into their next literary adventure. Happy reading!
-- XOXO Home Sweet Houser --
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